This project will help: 58 caregivers
Estimated completion date: February 2025
Country: Uganda
Executive summary
Busiu is a peri-urban community in the Eastern region of Uganda where many families live in poverty. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many caregivers who were already struggling to provide for their families have not been able to recover their livelihoods. These families have exhausted their savings, food stores and other resources and are facing a severe financial and food security crisis.
Farming and animal rearing is the main economic activity in Busiu, Uganda. Due to their ability to grow quickly, most families of Compassion-assisted children grow maize and beans. However, since they are unable to store or process the grains for later use, caregivers are forced to sell their crops at very low prices immediately after harvest. A few months later, many households run out of food to eat and sell, leaving most caregivers struggling to provide their children with even two meals per day.
Compassion’s church partners in Busiu see the need to help caregivers become economically self-sufficient. They understand the importance of long-term solutions that will allow caregivers to generate an income and provide for their children. They have already implemented a successful cow rearing intervention in the past—however, 55 per cent of households in the community still need access to improved income-generating activities.
With your generous gift, our frontline church partners in Busiu, Uganda, will establish a grain-milling facility complete with the large-scale agricultural equipment needed to process maize and other grains. The church will select 58 caregivers to learn how to use the mill and work to produce various flours that they can then sell to generate an income. Caregivers will also be trained on industry trends and best practices to promote effective marketing and team development. The mill will allow caregivers to sell by-products such as animal feed as well as products like millet, maize flour and ground nuts. This intervention will also increase food security as caregivers will have increased access to non-perishable foods they can use to cook nutritious meals for their children.
Summary
Background
Busiu, Uganda, is considered a peri-ubran community—that is, a community located on the outskirts of a city. Although Busiu has some developed infrastructure such as primary and secondary schools, health centres and stores, many households experience high levels of poverty and caregivers cannot afford to meet the basic needs of their families. The Busiu Child Development Centre lies in a rural area where farming and animal rearing is the main economic activity. Most families grow maize and beans as both crops are quick to grow.
Maize farming can be a sustainable source of income. However, caregivers living in Busiu do not have access to the agricultural equipment needed to process maize and other grains. Families also do not have any way to store harvested maize. Therefore, they are forced to sell their crops at very low prices immediately after harvest or risk losing their crops entirely. Within a few months of harvest, many households run out of food to eat and sell. When this happens, caregivers struggle to provide their children with nutritious food—many can barely afford just two meals per day.
The need
Caregivers living in Busiu, Uganda, need improved access to income-generating opportunities. Without it, children growing up in this community will continue to go without regular, nutritious meals, adequate education and the resources needed to thrive as they enter adulthood.
Your gift will allow our church partners in Busiu to establish a mill facility where 58 caregivers will be able to process maize, millet and ground nuts to generate a sustainable income. The mill will be set up with all the necessary equipment and tools needed for caregivers to use the mill. The caregivers will also be organized into savings groups so they can borrow funds to help operate their own small businesses and will return the money at an agreed profit. They will be trained on industry best practices and effective marketing. A marketing and sales team will focus on reaching out to customers to ensure caregivers are able to establish their businesses. Participants will sell their products to a wide range of customers including community members, retailers and wholesale companies. They will also be able to bring home their grain products to provide increased food security for their families.
The management team will develop contingency plans to address risks such as supply chain disruptions and market fluctuations and will learn how to prevent equipment breakdowns. Sustainability efforts will involve modernizing processes, managing inventory, enhancing customer engagement, optimizing production processes, managing costs, diversifying income sources and adopting sustainable practices such as waste reduction and energy efficiency.
What your gift will do
Your gift will establish a grain-milling facility in Busiu, Uganda, so 58 caregivers can increase their income and achieve food security:
- 30-horsepower motor
-
Milling machine
- Equipment, including: huller machine, mill for animal feed, grease gun, grease/oil, weighing scale, electrical equipment, belts
-
Pulley
- Equipment, including: bearings, cables, bolts, standby milling generator, clips, wiring
- Packaging materials
- Sewing machine
- Sealing machines
- Maize
- Roller sieves
- Laptop
- Electricity for 3 months
- Furniture and tables
-
Workers
- Supervisor/Trainer fees, casual labour (10 workers), technical worker for 12 months, wages for workers for 1 month, protective gear for workers
- Initial grain (maize)
- Mill factory construction
- Pools and water
- Meals
- Transportation fees
Logistics
- Local contribution: US$1,366.64
- Handling of funds: Compassion International Uganda will work with church partner leaders to ensure this project stays within budget.
- Monitoring and follow-up: A mill committee will be established to provide oversight of the mill. A savings committee will also be set up. Day-to-day operations of the mill will be managed by the technical overseer and the management team. Centre staff will provide ongoing support and follow-up as needed.